The Royal
Canadian Dental Corps was an organizational corps of the
Canadian Army, briefly during the last part of the First World
War, and then from 1921 to the time of Unification when it was
replaced by the Dental Branch.

Lineage

On 20 Apr 1915
the Canadian Army Dental Corps was created as a corps of
the Non-Permanent Active Militia. The corps disbanded on 1 November
1920. The corps was raised again under the same name the next
year on 15 June 1921. On 31 August 1939, the corps was redesignated
The Canadian Dental Corps, and on the same day a Regular
component was created, also designated The Canadian Dental
Corps.

Both components
were redesignated The Royal Canadian Dental Corps on 15 January
1947.

On 1 September 1969,
the RCDC became the Dental
Branch of the Canadian Armed Forces.1

History

First World War

During the First
World War the corps provided personnel under the supervision of
the Director of Medical Services for the Canadian Corps in
France, and personnel under the Director of Dental Services for
service in the UK and Canada.

The corps
provided care under the Director General of Dental Services for
Canadian personnel in Canada and abroad, serving around the
world.

Corps Strength

Men on
Strength of the CADC Overseas

Officers

Warrant Officers and NCOs

Privates

May 1915

30

34

40

11 Nov 1918 (Total)

233

221

238

11 Nov 1918 (France/UK)

76/147

76/145

64/174

The Canadian Army
Dental Corps is believed by historians to be the first separate
military dental service in the world. Individual dental officers
had served previously as attachments to Canadian units in the
lines of communication (the 1st Canadian Contingent had one
dental surgeon unofficially attached to each Stationary and
General Hospital). In early 1915, 19 officers and 38 other ranks
were serving overseas in a dental capacity.

Once authorized
in May 1915 by Militia Order 257, the CADC had an authorized
strength overseas of 30 officers, 34 NCOs and 40 privates. By 11
November 1918 the CADC had 233 officers, 221 NCOs and 238 privates.

Services

CADC personnel
eventually performed several functions:

Dental
inspections of all Canadian soldiers on arrival in England

Dental
inspections of all returning soldiers before embarking for
Canada

Provision of
normal preventative dental care

Treatment of
wounds and trench mouth

Special care
for reconstruction surgery in special clinics

Organization

Dentists in the
field operated primarily at field ambulances, casualty clearing
stations, General and Stationary Hospitals, and at base camps,
forestry and railway units. One dental officer was generally
assigned to each of these units. A chief dental surgeon was
assigned to each divisional headquarters, a dental surgeon to
each brigade of mounted rifles and artillery, two dental
surgeons to each infantry brigade, and one to each field
ambulance. Divisional Troops and Corps Troops also received two
dental officers each. Each dental surgeon had a Batman and an
Orderly to assist him.

At Le Havre, the
Canadian base camp there included a dental store, Canadian Corps
dental clinic and a dental laboratory. General clinics were
opened in the UK at training centres, command and discharge
depots, special hospitals, segregation camps, and in London to
care for officers of the Ministry, Overseas Military Forces of
Canada.

In Canada, each
Military District contained facilities for soldiers on leave
from overseas who needed emergency treatment as well as a
centralized dental store.

Second World War

The CDC operated
everywhere Canadian soldiers operated during the Second World
War.

Korean War

Dental services
were also provided to the 25th Canadian Brigade during the
Korean War.

Uniform Insignia

Berets

The corps
adopted a coloured
beret after the Korean War, in midnight blue with a
large green flash. The flash was not popular and was
replaced in about 1956 with a dark blue forage cap with
green cap band.

Rank Insignia

In 1940,
coloured backings were adopted throughout the Canadian
Army for officers' rank insignia. The corps adopted a
green backing colour, and retained that colour until
Unification. The St. Edward's Crown was used in rank
insignia after the ascension of Queen Elizabeth II.

Cap Badges

Canadian Army Dental
Corps

Two cap badges
are identified by Babin as having been issued during the First
World War; the DS version is (according to Babin) a
manufacturer's error, with the correct version having OS for
"Overseas".

In 1921 with the
reauthorization of the corps, the DS badge continued in use
(according to Mazeas).

Army
Dental Corps (DS)

Army
Dental Corps (OS)

Army
Dental Corps (DS)

Babin 39-7

Babin 39-8

Mazeas S.10a

The Canadian Dental
Corps

The cap
badge approved by General Order 3/1929 consisted of a
wreath of maple leaves surmounted by the Crown, and
within the wreath the monogram "CADC". Bronze officers'
badge at right courtesy of Dwayne Hordij. Both are
designated Mazeas S.10b.

The Royal Canadian
Dental Corps

Thompson Q82

After the change in
designation to "Royal" in 1947, the monogram was altered
to read "RCDC". The final change in pattern came in 1953
with the replacement of the Tudor Crown with the St.
Edward's Crown.

A cloth cap badge was
also produced for the Combat Field Cap using the Queen's
Crown "RCDC" design (as per Thompson Q82).

Collar Badges

Collar Badges worn with
the CADC cap badge were smaller representations of the
badge in either bronze or brass.

Cloth Shoulder Flashes

The first
unit identifier used on Battle Dress in the Second World
War was a slip on shoulder title adopted early in the
war. In 1941, as units moved towards coloured shoulder
flashes with embroidered titles, units of the supporting
corps and services adopted Formation Patches with their
designation "CDC" in gold letters embroidered (or later,
printed) directly onto the formation patch. In the
latter years of the war, corps titles were adopted, both
embroidered and in canvas. Image and artifacts below
courtesy Bill Alexander, at right courtesy Bill Ellis.

After the Second World
War and the redesignation of the Corps as "Royal", a new
coloured flash was introduced.

On Combat Dress, a
short title reading "RCDC" was used.

Notes

While
sources originally consulted for this page suggested
that dental services for the RCN and RCAF were merged
with the RCDC to create the CF's dental branch,
correspondence with Colonel James Taylor, Director of
Dental Services, Canadian Forces Health Services Group
reveals that the branch history contains no evidence of
the RCN and RCAF having separate dental services at the
time of unification. Thanks to Colonel Taylor for
getting in touch. (Correspondence with the webmaster 21
Jan 2013).